Prosthetic devices have many different applications in medicine.
The trachea is a tube that extends from the larynx to the lungs, and allows the passage of air therethrough. Depending on the individual, the trachea usually includes between fifteen and twenty incomplete, C-shaped cartilaginous rings. The cartilaginous rings reinforce the anterior and lateral sides of the trachea to protect and maintain the airway while leaving a dorsal side of the trachea devoid of cartilaginous rings. The incomplete structure of the cartilaginous rings allows the trachea to collapse slightly as food passes through the esophagus, which lies posterior to the trachea. Additionally, a trachealis muscle connects the ends of the incomplete rings and contracts during coughing, reducing the size of the lumen of the trachea.
For various reasons, such as injury, tumor, and/or infection, it may be necessary to reconstitute at least a portion of the trachea. Often, reconstituting the trachea includes direct anastomosis through use of an artificial trachea, or trachea replacement constructed of an artificial material. Current artificial trachea technologies generally include electrospinning, molded forms, and other non-wovens. However, these technologies typically do not provide suitable biomimetic structures. For example, an artificial trachea formed through electrospinning may not include anatomically correct bifurcation of the right and left bronchial branches or cartilaginous rings. Additionally, electrospun artificial tracheas are often rigid, causing patients to experience pain and/or difficulty during ambulation and/or swallowing after implantation.
These and other drawbacks are associated with current coated products and methods used for forming coated products.
Vascular aneurysms are an abnormal dilation that can occur in the aorta or any other blood vessels, with more predominance in arterial blood vessels than veins. Vascular aneurysms are serious and dangerous medical conditions that typically necessitate surgical repair. The repair involves implantation of a graft within the blood vessel.
The aneurysm often extends into areas of bifurcation, such as where a large artery splits into two smaller branch vessels. While bifurcated grafts have been common for some time, some vascular repair surgeries are more extensive, for which tri-furcated or quadfurcated grafts are desirable.
While grafts having three or four furcations have been proposed, they have not yet come into wide use. A primary drawback of current versions of such grafts is that it is necessary to sew or adhere together multiple bifurcated grafts to achieve higher furcations. Sewing multiple grafts in situ is time consuming and creates potential for blood turbulence and possibly even leakage at the seam where the grafts are sewn together.
These and other drawbacks are associated with current grafts having more than two furcations.